


A Tale about Parts

by mixthealphabet



Series: And It Grows [9]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Can't be read alone, Character Study, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-26
Updated: 2013-07-26
Packaged: 2017-12-21 11:25:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/899740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mixthealphabet/pseuds/mixthealphabet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are some parts of himself that Natsu still can't comprehend. Gajeel helps; in his own way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tale about Parts

_And you should never cut your hair 'cause I love the way you flick it off your shoulder. And you will never know just how beautiful you are to me, but maybe I'm just in love when you wake me up._

"I have no idea what you're doing, Salamander, but you probably should stop before someone ends up hurt."

Natsu had been sitting by the bar, gulping down a plate of fire food that Mirajane had set in front of him moments before, when Gajeel approached him. It was still quite early, and the guild hall didn't have its usual flare, nor the noisiness that came with the abundance of Fairy Tail members, so there was no one to witness the oddity that was about to take place.

The arrival of the iron dragon slayer made something akin to suspicion etch into the other's expression, and the boy frowned when he turned to face Gajeel. They rarely ever talked, unless it had to do with a mission or theories about what might have happened to their dragons. Even then, the two never truly tried to maintain civility.

So the tired tone that the man had adopted was enough to put Natsu on edge.

"What are you talking about, metal head?"

There was something strange in the twist of his lips, the pink haired boy decided, like frustration or  _worry_. But that wasn't possible, because the pierced mage had made it quite clear that there were few things he truly cared about, and Natsu definitely hadn't made into that list.

It was unsettling, this scenario they had constructed. The solemnness of it didn't suit them at all.

"I'm here to help you, flame brain, so shut your trap and listen." He pulled the chair next to Natsu's, sitting down and leaning over the counter to make sure that Mira still hadn't come back.

There was a moment of silence in which he seemed to think about what his next words would be. There weren't many reasons that could get Gajeel to act like that, a fact that only deepened the other's curiosity and uneasiness. The pinkette wasn't known for his patience, after all.

"You and I…" He began. "We were raised by dragons. We learnt about loyalty for life and all that bullshit."

The man stopped, glancing at Natsu with a look full of annoyance, like he preferred to be doing anything but talking to him.

"Phantom didn't have my devotion, but Fairy Tail does. It just never felt right there." He grumbled out. "But that is not what I'm talking about." Gajeel brought a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes before continuing. "Nakama is one thing. A mate is something entirely different."

Natsu was glad he'd stopped eating once Gajeel decided to join him, because he was sure he would have choked with those last words.

"What?!"

The other growled, irritated by his loudness.

"You heard me right. Your mate. If you want to use the normal term, a girlfriend. Metalicana was a freaking sap with that sort of thing. One and only and all that. I'm guessing Igneel was the same." Natsu tried to look away, to disguise the rush of color that had taken his cheeks, but Gajeel saw it. "Yeah, thought so."

They didn't talk for some time.

There was a chill in the air of the morning, like spring was still settling in after the gruesome winter. That explanation wasn't far from the truth, of course. The snow was long gone, but the weather that past week had been shifting between light rain and warm afternoons. The nights were somewhat hot, but the dawn came with wet pavements and a coldness that made their bones ache.

As a shiver ran up his spine, Natsu was reminded of Lucy and how he wouldn't be there when she woke up. She would probably be sleeping in, still too lazy to give up the comfortable heat of her covers. The boy wished he could be there with her, feeling irritated that the Master had ordered him to help Mira with the preparations of the day as a punishment for burning down another house in his previous mission.

Lucy had been so angry…

"You're thinking about her right now, aren't you?" The man by his side barked out with a laugh. "Smiling like a fool because of bunny girl."

Natsu glared at him, pushing away from the counter and digging his fingers into the soft wood, but there was no way to hide his blush.

"I'm not!" He argued, like a child, but the denial sounded empty even to himself.

"So you're becoming self aware…" Gajeel commented, lifting an eyebrow. His expression carried amusement, like the whole thing was just a big joke. "I gotta say I'm surprised. I imagined you'd be ripping heads and hoarding her before you recognized the damn thing as attraction."

He'd heard that before, something about a dragon's hoard. Igneel used to say that they were extremely possessive about the things they cared about and that he was almost sure the boy would grow up with that same sense of ownership over the people he loved.

Natsu blinked twice before letting go of the counter. He had already seen traces of that possessiveness in himself; Happy was his, Fairy Tail was his, Lucy was his. They were part of what he called home and there was no way the dragon slayer would let others hurt his nakama.

"I don't hoard anyone." He muttered, frowning. Gajeel was probably the last person on earthland he would want to have this conversation with.

The other chuckled, grabbing a piece of iron from within his pocket and nibbling at it.

"Sure you do. I hoard shrimp, you hoard bunny girl. You can't think we spent so much time with those irritating dragons without picking up some of their traces, especially since they were the ones to teach us dragon slaying magic. The nature of our magic comes from them." He glanced at Natsu, eyes squinting in an attempt to look menacing. "Just so you know, tell anyone one word of this conversation and I'll rip out your vocal chords."

The pink haired boy rolled his eyes, doing his best not to growl. He was starting to get exasperated with Gajeel's threats. It wasn't like he'd asked him for help.

"Why are you telling me all this, anyway?" He snapped back.

Gajeel looked like he was going to reply with that same aggressiveness, but hesitated. He leaned against his chair and took a deep breath.

It was only then that the seriousness of the situation struck Natsu.

"I'm not about to let you throw yourself into that path without warning you of the dangers. You might not be my favorite person in the world, but the loneliness that comes with losing the one you love…" He paused. "I saw it in Metalicana, even when I was younger. It does things to you."

He had a point and Natsu knew it. He had seen it in others, as well. It wasn't something that only dragons or dragon slayers experienced, the loss of the "love of your life". He could remember Lucy's description of her father, the way he'd slipped away from her after her mother's death, because he couldn't find any other way to cope with his wife's departure.

What would be of him if Lucy died?

After the Magic Games, the notion had passed through his mind many times, but he had never truly considered it. He had promised himself to save her from whatever harm may come, even if that meant giving up his life. He'd already seen her die once, he wouldn't let it happen one more time.

But Gajeel wasn't talking about death, only. He was talking about her leaving, finding someone else maybe. The idea pained him more than Natsu would have liked to admit. She was always with him, part of most of his waking moments and even some of his dreams. It was difficult to imagine Lucy going away and finding someone else.

She was simply… his.

"I'm hoarding her." He whispered under his breath, eyes wide with the realization. Gajeel snickered, watching carefully as the boy turned to him. "Why?"

There was a smirk in the iron dragon slayer's lips, an expression that clearly told Natsu that the man knew exactly what was going on, but wouldn't say anything.

"This is just too entertaining, Salamander. I've said enough. Figure it out."

He stood up suddenly, flashing a mocking grin in the other's direction before turning around to leave. Natsu was on his feet in an instant. Mind swimming with all that had been said, he grabbed Gajeel's shoulder, trying to stop him, but the man shrugged off his hand and glanced at the guild's doors.

Lucy and Levy were standing there, greeting each other and laughing about something.

It was still quite early, but the sun shone brightly, flooding the morning with that humid warmth that was characteristic of spring. The blonde stood in the sunlight, golden hair almost glowing, already back to using her skirts and low cut tops, and the boy couldn't stop the thought that she looked absolutely beautiful. The sight was so familiar that Natsu felt a grin spread across his face and the need to shout out to her made him choke on what he was going to tell Gajeel.

They didn't notice, but the pierced mage certainly did, because he laughed again, shaking his head and pretending to wipe off tears from his eyes.

"Maybe the warning came too late."

Natsu glared, diverting his attention from Lucy and closing his hands into fists by his sides.

"Quit with the charades! You're pissing me off!"

Gajeel moved to stand up straight, towering over him.

"If you had more than ash in that brain of yours, then you'd understand what I'm saying!"

Just as they were about to start throwing punches, Natsu felt someone touch his arm, pulling him back.

"The day just started." Lucy sighed, letting her hand slid down to grab his. "Let's keep the peace for a little while longer."

Levy was by Gajeel's side, lecturing him about starting fights so early in the morning. The man scowled, obviously annoyed, but responded with some nonchalant comment and started pulling her towards the outside tables, saying that she would get better light there, in case she wanted to read the book he'd brought her from his last mission.

"He started it." Natsu pouted as he let Lucy drag him to a table near. She smiled, looking at him over her shoulder.

"I find that difficult to believe." Her eyes were gentle, though, not a trace of anger in them as they moved to where her friend had sat down. Natsu was glad she wasn't mad at him anymore. "Just leave it for now. He's smitten. It's only natural that they want to spend some time alone."

Something in his mind clicked, going back to his conversation with Gajeel.

_Sure you do. I hoard shrimp, you hoard bunny girl._

Natsu stared at the table in front of him, trying not to alert Lucy to the panic that had welled up inside of him.

He felt his heart beating inside his chest; it wasn't racing, but it was definitely stronger. It was just one of the things that Lucy did to him, to his body, but it had never seemed like a bad thing before. The boy accepted her beauty, he just hadn't thought about what his attraction to her might mean. Being forced to face this was… disconcerting.

"I feel strange." He muttered, clutching his head.

The celestial mage turned to him, examining his features with worry, before smiling once again.

"How about this: I'll get us some breakfast while you choose a mission. You don't look sick, so I bet a good ass kicking will make you feel just fine." She threw her hair over her shoulder, looking absolutely satisfied with herself. "The last job paid three months of rent, but I could use more jewels."

When their gazes met once again, there was a sort of warmth in her eyes that made Natsu think of how good it felt to wake up every morning to precisely that expression.

He grinned, punching the table excitedly and forgetting whatever had been troubling him moments before.

"I'm all fired up!"

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, this took so long for me to write. I just went through some rough couple of weeks and I'm terribly sorry that the update took this long. I was also kind of blocked about it.
> 
> The song is Wake me up, by Ed Sheeran. Funny story, actually: I found the song after finishing the story. Those verses just struck me as fitting, since Natsu observed how Lucy throws her hair behind her shoulder and how he likes her expression when they wake up.


End file.
